Gun



Nov. 11, 1941. w. i. GORTON 2,261,994

y GUN Filed April 18, 1940 barrel.

Patented Nov. 11, 1941 Walter T. Gorton, United States Army, Springfield, Mass.

Application April 18, 1940, Serial No. 330,341

(Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as

amended April 30, 1928; 370 G. 757) 3 Claims.

The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes, without the payment to me of any royalty thereon.

This invention relates to a gun.

In U. S. Patent 2,027,892 there is shown a caliber .30 Browning machine Igun modified for operation' with caliber .22 ammunition. In the l patent an actuator in the form of a piston carries the cartridge case and is movable rearwardly from the barrel by the pressure of the gases of the propellent charge. The actuator is spaced from and moves within a sleeve xed to the gun It has been found in practice that the elements of combustion are deposited at the forward end of the fixed sleeve and the rapid accumulation of the deposits result in stoppage of the mechanism and in breakage of the sleeve.

The purpose of this invention is to eliminate this defect by increasing the thickness and strength of the sleeve and by including a provision for scavenging the sleeve.

The specific nature of the invention as well as other objects and advantages thereof will clearly appear from a description of a preferred embodiment as shown in the accompanying drawing in which:

llilig. l is a longitudinal sectional view of the mechanism at the breech end of the barrel;

Fig. 2 is a detail view in elevation of the sleeve with parts in section.

Referring to the drawing by characters of reference there is shown a trunnion block 5 providing an elongated bearing 6 for receiving a sleeve 'I having a ange 8 on its rear end for engaging the rear face of the block. The front end of the sleeve is in threaded engagement 9 with a gun barrel I0 whose breech face is substantially in line with the rear face of the flange.

The actuator is similar to that of the patent and comprises a cylinder I I slidably mounted on the barrel and within the sleeve 1 and it includes a base I2 having a chamber I3 for a cartridge I4 and adapted to-be threaded to a member I5 which in the unmodified gun constitutes the barrel extension which is associated with the breech bolt residual gases and products of combustion when the actuator is moved rearwardly a predetermined distance after firing the cartridge. When the actuator is in battery, as illustrated, the

front end of the cylinder II is spaced from the Vfront threaded end 9 of the sleeve..

Unlike the patent, there is not an appreciable spacing between the cylinder I I and the sleeve 1, as the sleeve has been made considrably thicker to increase its strength. The lower side of the sleeve is provided with an aperture I1 whose rear portion is slightly overlapped by the front end of the cylinder. The aperture I1 isin register with an aperture I8 in the trunnion block 5 and cooperates therewith in venting the sleeve and in providing an entry for the purpose of cleaning and removing the fouling when necessary.

I claim: I

1. In a gun, a barrel, a tubular member sleeved over the breech end portion of the barrelin concentric radially spaced relation and connected adjacent its forward end portion to thebarrel in substantially uid sealed relation, a support comprising a cylindrical bearing portion receiving the sleeve in bearing relation for reciprocable movement, said bearing portion and sleeve Abeing formed to provide registering vent openings adjacent the connection between the barrel and sleeve, a cylindrical actuator reciprocably mounted upon the barrel within said sleeve adapted to form a gas chamber to the rear of the barrel as it moves relatively rearward of the barrel, said actuator being provided with a longitudinally extending groove extending rearwardly from its forward end a portion of the length thereof and being arranged upon predetermined rearward movement of the actuator to establish communication between said vent openings vand gas chamber.

2. In a gun, a barrel, a tubular member sleeved over the breech end portion of the barrel in concentric radially spaced relation and connected adjacent its forward end'portion to the barrel in uid sealed relation, a support comprising a cylindrical bearing portion receiving the sleeve in bearing relation for reciprocable movement, said bearing portion and sleeve being formed to provide registering vent openings adjacent vthe connection between the barrel and sleeve, a cylindrical actuator reciprocably mounted upon the barrel within said sleeve adapted to form a gas chamber to the rear of the barrel as it moves rela. tively rearward of the barrel, said actuator being provided with circumferentially spaced longitudinally extending grooves extending rearwardly from its forward en-d a portion of the length thereof and being arranged upon predetermined rearward movement of the actuator toy establishconnection between the barrel and sleeve, a cylin.

drical actuator reciprocably mounted upon the barrel within said sleeve adapted to form a gas 15 chamber to the rear of the barrel as it moves relatively rearward of the barrel, said sleeve having an outside diameter approximately equal to that of the barrel and a radial thickness approximating the radial thickness of the actuator portion on the barrel and of said radial space between the sleeve and actuator, lsaid actuator being provided with a longitudinally extending groove extending rearwardly from its forward end a portion of the length thereof and being arranged upon predetermined rearward movement .of the actuator to establish communication between the vent openings and gas chamber.

WALTER T. GORTON. 

